


that i shall be a burden to you

by HolyMakkirel



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Anxiety, Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, sometimes women just kiss. it just happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22283809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyMakkirel/pseuds/HolyMakkirel
Summary: The Ashen Wolves are supposed to work with the surface dwellers. Constance is having some trouble with that. Fortunately, Hapi knows her well enough to fix it.Hapistance, with a little angst and a little fluff and a whole lot of interpreting things based on scraps.
Relationships: Hapi & Constance, Hapi/Constance, Hapistance
Comments: 8
Kudos: 67





	that i shall be a burden to you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [idealistside](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idealistside/gifts), [sapphicbabey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphicbabey/gifts).



> you might be thinking: did this motherfucker actually write ~2k just because these two had a couple of cute lines in a datamine and she thought hapistance was a cute ship name? 
> 
> yes. yes that is exactly what happened. sail with me.
> 
> update: im happy i got the dynamic mostly-right even though i was wrong in guess why constance was sad in some lines. also i assigned Baltie to hapi when it wasn't actually her saying it and i called yuri bossman as a generic nickname thing even though she actually does have one for him. so i'm editing those in but exposing myself here since i am no COWARD

“Coco? Cocooooo? Coooo _ coooooooo? _ ” 

The halls of Abyss echoed a familiar voice. Garreg Mach’s underbelly, home of the Ashen Wolves, had been exposed. The surface school’s new favorite pet professor had discovered them, and their comfortable (in that they’d adjusted to it, more than that any real comforts were afforded to them) life in the shadows was suddenly obliterated by the daylight. Initially, Hapi was dissatisfied with the change of pace. She didn’t really see the need for it; the Wolves and the other denizens of Abyss had fended for themselves this long, and despite the new difficulties they were facing the idea of getting help from surface dwellers didn’t sit right by her. But… they seemed to mean well, and Yuri already signed the house on, and, well… They seemed like a fun bunch, once she got to know them better. Having swallowed her pride, she was actually rather  _ excited _ for their first joint mission.

That was, until Constance never showed up.

Constance, for all her distrust towards the surface dwellers, looked to be sucking up her distaste well. When she was told that they were to be working together, she didn’t seem to let her complaints get in the way. Why would she? She was a magical prodigy, with incredible flight skills to boot; if anyone above or below the ground could run things solo, it was her. It didn’t matter if she had three allies or thirty.  _ Goddess, she’s stuck up. _

Despite her qualms with her housemate, Hapi and Constance were… close. The two had their squabbles, of course. For all her qualifications, Constance still liked to avoid getting her hands dirty, which bothered Hapi to no end. In turn, Hapi may have occasionally been a touch nihilistic, putting a bit of a downer on Constance’s perfectionism. After all, why bother getting everything right when it didn’t matter, and it was far more enjoyable to just do things however you felt like doing them? 

While the distinction had caused no shortage of problems when the two first met, it had mellowed out as they grew older. Particularly, as they grew closer. Constance had quirks, quirks that kept her in the shade and sometimes stopped her from acting to her full capacities. Initially, she expected Hapi to mock her for them, or chide her for her inability, but as if sensing that this was something which the woman was deeply insecure about, Hapi’s expected teasing never came. That was new to Constance. Comforting, even. The two stopped bickering so much after that, coming to count on each other on the battlefield and, soon, off it. They spent much of their free time together, roaming the winding passageways of Abyss and discovering little nooks and crannies that they’d never heard anyone speak of. Often, their playful teases and happy laughs would echo out and bounce through the halls. Often, they would come back hand in hand. Often, it would be with unkempt hair and messy clothes. The bond between the two had grown loving and strong.

That was why Hapi was the one who had to find her.

When Constance didn’t respond to any of her calls, Hapi grew a worrying suspicion. As she neared her beloved’s quarters, her suspicions were made real; from the other side of the door, she could hear Constance’s sniffling. With a sigh, she pressed up against the door.

“Hey, Coco?..” Hapi cooed softly, but loudly, tender in tone but still strong enough to catch attention.

“H-Hapi?” Constance sounded tired, as though she’d been crying for quite a while. “Come… come in.” 

Smiling, Hapi tried to tilt the door handle, only for it to not budge; she soon heard shuffling from the other side, as if someone was walking through an obstacle filled room. The sound of fumbling reverberated through the door as the handle began to shake, followed by the signature click of a door unlocking. Slowly, it creaked open, and looking up at her from the small gap was Constance’s teardrop dotted, red, and still wonderfully adorable face. The women were not particularly far apart in height, which meant Constance was slouching. She was  _ not _ a sloucher. The way she stared up at Hapi dead-eyed from beneath her drooping eyelids, it was clear that she was expecting to be scolded for this disappointment, as if her shortcoming today would revert every good moment the two had shared and prompt Hapi to abandon her for her imperfections.

“So… am I supposed to come in through this? Because I might need to lose some weight to squeeze in… and bones… and maybe just turn into a drawing.”

Against her will, Constance smirked.  _ Okay. So maybe Hapi wasn’t that disappointed _ . She opened her door all the way, putting her floor on full display: tomes strewn about, open to all sorts of random pages; makeup and combs discarded right on the ground; a half-dozen articles of each type of clothing all across the ground. Even more worrying was the state of Constance herself. Hair messy, white undershirt shirt tucked into her shorts on one side and having come loose on the other, one sock on scarf  _ on _ her neck but not properly wrapped around it… Hapi had seen this before.  _ Oh, she was  _ **_anxious_ ** _ anxious. _

Hapi stepped into the room, and then immediately sidestepped to behind Constance, stretching a hand past her and closing the door, then wrapping it around her waist in a hug. “Getting cold feet?” her words, just as before, were both flat and comforting. Hapi often seemed disinterested, but Constance knew better by now. She was just... Consistent. She was a good anchor because of it. Her boot inched forward, tapping Constance’s bare foot. “I think this one might get cold faster. You shouldn’t play favorites.”

Sighing, Constance placed her hands over Hapi’s, pressing them into her stomach as she leaned back cheek-to-cheek with her. “I… I’m not suited to working up there. I know I put on a brave face… a-and I wasn’t just pretending, I swear!” Hapi responded quickly with a shake of her head, making it clear she didn’t doubt the woman. Constance’s voice, in turn, dropped back down. “I just… I didn’t realize the implications of fighting on the surface. I was getting ready, and they all just dawned on me at once. I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Then don’t.” The words came out quickly, as if Hapi didn’t need to consider them for a second. “There’s plenty of surface dwellers, and they did just fine without us all this time. They’ve got mages, and fliers, and cute blondes, too.” Constance rolled her eyes at the tease. “But seriously, Coco… you don’t need to do this if you aren’t ready.”

“But… I said I would. I don’t want to let anybody down.” She turned her head aside, lifting a hand to Hapi’s cheek as they locked eyes. “I don’t want to let you down. I don’t know if I could cope with the knowledge that I did.”

The delicate fingers on her cheek brought a rare smile to Hapi’s face. “Hey, hey now…” She giggled brightly, moving a hand up to weave with the one touching her and pulling it to her lips to kiss its back. “None of that. I’m not going to be disappointed with you. Yuribird and B aren’t either. And who cares what the surface dwellers think, right?.. We haven’t so far… why start now?”

Constance sighed. “You… have a point. It wouldn’t be the worst thing ever to delay my first impression, until I’m more ready… but it  _ feels _ wrong.”

“Well, if it  _ feels  _ wrong, then it can’t be that great an idea. Do you want to try getting ready again?”

“Why should I?.. You saw how well it went the first time…”

“Well,” Hapi pulled in closer, pecking an affectionate kiss on Constance’s lips before stepping away to lean against her bedside. “I wasn’t here the first time. Try it again.”

“Oh… you’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?” Despite her words, Constance was beaming. “Fine, fine.”

First came the magic. Hapi was a powerful spellcaster as well, but her field of expertise was dark magic, differing greatly from Constance’s anima-based black magic. Still, she was just as good at studying, even if the spells themselves were lost on her. As Constance struggled through the texts refreshing herself, it helped to have Hapi there to help her review.

Then, scouring her floor for clothes, Constance eventually got everything up onto her bed. From there, it was just a matter of picking them out. The effort was, in fact, made a good bit easier by having her dearest there to compliment her outfit, even if it was just minor modifications to a uniform. Before long, she was fully dressed, though her face was still untouched. 

Hapi sought to remedy that, sitting down on the floor against the bed and patting directly in front of her lap as she grabbed a comb. “Must we?..” Whined Constance. “I’m already dressed.. What if the floor is dusty?”

“It’s… It’s your floor. Is it dusty?”

“Well, no, but-” The patting grew louder. Sighing, Constance sat down, and soon Hapi had the comb running through her hair as she sorted it out. Taking this time to multitask, Constance reached for a napkin and wiped her face dry, before looking at herself in a hand mirror. Her  _ eyes. _ Goddess, they looked… bad.

“I… can’t go out looking like this. I need my makeup, especially right after crying so much.”

“We don’t have time for that, Coco… they’re waiting for us already.” Hapi stood up, grabbed Constance’s hairband, and knelt in front of her to set it in her hair. “Besides, you look gorgeous. By the time we get up top, you’ll look as not-cried-out as ever.”

“And if I don’t? If  _ this _ is my first impression?”

Hapi knew that reassurance wasn’t going to work. She needed a  _ plan. _

“Then you tell them it’s your… condition, and that you need to get to the shade. And then you go stand far away enough that none of them can tell your eyes are red, and then you get on your pegasus and no one sees you anymore.”

Constance pouted at the suggestion. “I make my first impression by standing alone, away from everyone else? Great idea, Hapi.”

“No…” Hapi rolled her eyes, as if she was being forced to explain everything. She moved her hand and once again locked fingers with her beloved, looking her straight on. “We stand in the shade. You for a good reason, and me because I just want to be with you.”

“Hapi!” Constance seemed almost appalled at how quickly she was willing to tarnish her own image. “I’m not letting you do that. It’ll ruin how they see you, if they think you’re prioritizing me over the group!”

“Coco… let me worry about how they see me. I’m sure aaaaaaany bad impressions I make while we march there will pass fast once we’re on the battlefield. Okay?”

“I…” Hapi had a point. There wasn’t really any more denying it. “Okay. You win. Let’s go.”

“Good. I like it when you agree with me.”

“Oh, shut it.”

“You’d hate if I did.”

No more words passed between them. Just constance indignantly leaning in and locking lips with Hapi, and then both women rolling their eyes at each other and giggling like schoolgirls.

**_“Hey!”_ **

Uh oh. It would seem they delayed a moment too long.

**_“Did you two get lost down there or something? Come on!”_ ** That booming voice was one either of them could recognize anywhere.

“Apologies, Balthus!” Constance opened her door and yelled back through it. “I suppose we… lost track of time.”

It wasn’t the truth, really. But it was something neither woman had trouble doing, when she was with the other.


End file.
